Throughout the next 10 days, we'll be unveiling our list of the 10 under-the-radar Giants who will make some noise once training camp begins. While the team made plenty of headlines during free agency, their roster is still shallow in spots, and they'll need these unheralded players to have a productive training camp to put them at ease.

Today, we look at veteran defensive tackle Mike Patterson, a pleasant surprise out of camp last year who will need to be more than just a rotational body in 2014. Patterson, 30, completed a massive comeback from brain surgery last year by playing in 413 snaps.

Years pro: 11Why the Giants like him: Mike Patterson was in a tight training camp battle for a spot on the Giants defensive line last year and ended up edging out Marvin Austin, a recent second-round pick, for one of the final slots. Preferring to ease in rookie Johnathan Hankins, the Giants turned to Patterson more than they thought in 2013 and he proved a pleasant surprise. In the Week 5 loss to Philadelphia, a game where the Giants held LeSean McCoy to just 46 yards rushing, Patterson played nearly half of the 85 defensive snaps and was instrumental in causing more than a few potholes for the shifty running back to avoid.

Why we like him:Without Linval Joseph, the Giants are going to need an experienced veteran presence against the run. While we liked what Hankins showed in a limited role last year, Patterson will need to lead the pack this year, especially with a slew of teams (Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tennessee) on the schedule this year with a dangerous running game. Imagine a scenario where the Giants cut ties with Patterson during training camp last year and he ended up on another team. How thin would the run defense be this year? The Giants finished 14th against the run last season (108.9) with Joseph. Without him, they'll need a heavy lift from the veteran.